Happy New Year, Temperance
by Eviaded
Summary: This is a continuation of Merry Christmas, Bones. It's an exploration of their budding romance and everything that goes along with it - both good and bad. I couldn't resist continuing the tale. Hope you enjoy!
1. Confessions II

Please review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

This is a new story but a continuation of the same tale. If you'd like to read the entire story you should start with "Merry Christmas, Bones" for chapters 1-7. In between chapters 7 and 8 there is an 'M' rated story "Merry Christmas, Booth", but either can be read alone and still make sense. This story picks up after Chapter 8.

* * *

It had been a long but very _good _week. Three days in bed with Temperance Brennan, flu or not, was a _great _week. She had gone back to her place two days ago. As soon as she felt well enough to work she dove right back in first from the comfort of his couch and then home to her own. Apparently it was not conducive to work for him to keep interrupting her like he had. He smile to himself at the memories. He had slept alone last night and while that gave him unlimited pillow access he was damn sure that did not make up for having her by his side.

Seeley had it all planned for tonight. The dinner, the show, the wine chilling at his place - it was to be their first real date. It was Friday and he hoped to have her to himself again for 3 days. They had both begged off work until Monday. The machine guns firing questions, Cam and Angela, could wait just a few more days.

* * *

Temperance was nervous. It didn't make sense but she knew it to be true. Despite spending days in bed with Seeley, and having known him for 3 years this date scared her. There was no pressure for them in his bed. It was just Seeley and Temperance, a man and a woman, making love. What he had described in that diner was completely true. The act of love bound them in ways that speech could not. They may spar with each other verbally but there they melded completely. It wasn't to say they hadn't talked and shared with each other in non-physical ways during that time. But what is said in afterglow is comfortable and relaxed and without imposed constructs. This _date _had so many societal strings attached that it terrified her and acknowledgment of that fact annoyed her immensely. This was not her first date and she definitely knew him yet she still felt like she was standing at the edge of a precipice, unable to stop her fall.

* * *

He picked her up at 7 and could instantly tell something was bothering her. He leaned over to kiss her before pulling out and she returned the kiss warmly, relaxing slightly. He picked up her hand as he drove off and could feel her tension. It relaxed as they moved but never totally dissipated.

She chattered about the latest case and an argument between Zach and Hodgins for a few minutes before trailing back into silence.

"Temperance, what's bothering you? Don't say bone abnormalities."

It annoyed her more that he had noticed. With a mental sigh she relented. "Seeley this whole thing just makes me nervous. I don't know how to act, don't know what to say. I'd like to think that nothing much has changed as far as our interactions go but logically, of course things have changed."

"Sure it's changed, Bones. But only in the good ways. We can still disagree, I can still pick a fight with you just to see your eyes flash and that wonderful brain flip into overdrive, we can still scare the hell out of each other with the daily dangers we face as we catch murders. But on top of that we can be there for each other in more ways than ever before. We can hold hands, say sweet nothings, make love. Temperance this isn't a different relationship now. Well it _is_, but not at the core. We've been together for a long time now we just never took that final step."

"Okay, well that makes sense. I guess. But what about you? Don't you worry about any of this at all?"

"Sure I do. I just worry about different things. I worry that I'll lose you to some crazed madman. I worry that the FBI will bust us up when they find out. What I don't worry about is you and me. We committed to each other a long time ago and now that we've made it official it's only going to get better, babe. It sounds cliche but what happened this week, that means something. Two people can't make love like we did if they don't care about each other completely. We'll be fine and I meant what I said earlier - everything else will fall into place from that. You be Bones, I'll be Booth. We work in Temperance and Seeley and soon enough we won't even remember this middle place between the two."

He parked and turned to her, smiling. Raising her hand before him, he kissed it gently then looked into her eyes. "I love you Temperance. I loved you a long time ago. I loved you when I tore out of a hospital bed after being _blown up_ so I could come find you and save you. I loved you when I flew to New Orleans and I pocketed your lost earring from a murder scene because I knew in my heart you were innocent, no matter the evidence. I loved you when I followed the leader of a murderous gang who had a hit on you into a deserted alleyway to make it very clear to him that if anything ever happened to you I would personally kill him. I loved you when I held you in Vince McVickar's farm, when I gave you Jasper and Brainy Smurf, when I brought you Chinese in the middle of the night and you worried we were going to get fat. I've loved you forever Bones. And I'm not going to stop. Put your fears aside for a bit and let yourself enjoy it and let yourself love me back in the same measure."

His words had poured out, completely from the heart, and it took him a moment to realize that he had just imparted a few things she didn't exactly know before now. He hoped the love part side tracked her enough to cover that up but one look at her face told him otherwise.

"Booth!"

He grinned at her sheepishly. "Come on. Lets go have our date. You'll have plenty of time later to tell me all the reasons I should not have done any of those things."


	2. Home is where the heart is

Please review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

This is a new story but a continuation of the same tale. If you'd like to read the entire story you should start with "Merry Christmas, Bones" for chapters 1-7. In between chapters 7 and 8 there is an 'M' rated story "Merry Christmas, Booth", but either can be read alone and still make sense. This story picks up after Chapter 8.

_This is somewhat of a short chapter but there will be more to come._

* * *

Navigating to their table, Seeley could feel her eyes boring into his back. _Why did I spill all that?_ He saw that her eyes were sparkling as they sat down and waited for her to speak. It didn't take long.

"So, you actually threatened the leader of a violent gang for my sake?"

Sheepishly grinning at her, he nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Why in the world would you do that?"

"Well, he pissed me off. How dare he threaten you. I didn't even think about it and I meant what I told him; if anything happened to you I would, uh hmm, drill him between the eyes." He choked on that last part, hoping she missed it. Wide eyes dashed that foolish hope. Temperance had excellent hearing.

"And in New Orleans? I knew something didn't add up when you gave me that second earring but lacking any rational explanation I just accepted I would never know. So when you told me down there you had already staked your career..." he nodded. "Wow. I just can't believe you did that. Why?"

"It's psychology, babe." If she didn't understand how far he'd go to protect her he wasn't going to point it out again. At least not yet. Smiling, he said instead, "So, you've heard my confessions. Now I want some of yours. When did you _know_?"

Her eyes went wide, "Booth! Not going to work up to that one?"

Unable to hold her mock anger looking at that impish grin she answered him, "Well. You probably won't like the answer. I'm really good at compartmentalizing my emotions away from my work. I have to be able to do that in order to do what I do. So while I was attracted to you early on, we had work. Then you had Tessa, then Cam, then I had Sully. I got really used to being your partner and I accepted that was probably all we'd ever be. I once told Zack he needed to put his heart in a box. And that's what I did. Only...I used a book instead."

"A book?" She watched the realization spread across his face. "I knew it! You _did _base Andy Lister off me!"

Blushing, she buried her face in her hands. He could see her shoulders shaking with laughter. "You were never supposed to know that!"

"Oh but now I do and whew do I have something to live up to now. There was that one time he took her to Paris and he _said _it was for a case but really he had this great romantic weekend planned and wowee the stuff they did that weekend, both in and out of the hotel. You make a guy nervous, Temperance."

"Andy doesn't have anything on you, Seeley." The look she gave him across the table made his heart lurch. Unspoken memories of the past week flowed between them and the room suddenly seemed too small and too hot. They had been done with dinner for some time, just chatting over wine. Paying, he escorted her outside, her hand warm in his.

He hesitated behind the wheel. "I bought us show tickets. But we don't, you know, don't have to ..."

Staring at him, she considered the options. It was obvious Seeley had gone to a lot of trouble to plan this night. He was showing her commitment and restraint. He was showing her that this was more than just a physical milestone in their relationship. She appreciated the thought, she understood it. But she also didn't need it. She may hate psychology but she wasn't completely ignorant of it. His surprise confessions tonight showed her that he had committed to her a very long time ago, long before she herself had committed to him. They really did this all terribly out of order but it worked for them. She didn't want to take things slow and easy now though. Three years is plenty slow and plenty easy.

Giving him a bright smile she leaned over and kissed him passionately, making both their heads spin. "Take me home Seeley."

"But my place..."

"Home is with you. It has been for a long time. I have a physical place I customarily lay my head at night and that's all I had for a very long time. Until I met you. Take me _home_, Seeley."


	3. Weekend Plans

Please review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

This is a new story but a continuation of the same tale. If you'd like to read the entire story you should start with "Merry Christmas, Bones" for chapters 1-7. In between chapters 7 and 8 there is an 'M' rated story "Merry Christmas, Booth", but either can be read alone and still make sense. "Happy New Year, Temperance" picks up after Chapter 8.

_Still fairly fluffy but not entirely so! More to come.  
_

* * *

Clothing trailed from the doorway back to his bedroom. They had been impatient and hurried, as if their new confessions were too much for them. In the dark, the words simply became part of their dance, part of their melding.

Seeley curled around Temperance and while stroking her arm considered their earlier confessions. He wasn't quite done with her yet.

"You still didn't answer me earlier. When did you know?"

If looks could kill she'd have daggered him at that moment. She wasn't at all comfortable discussing her emotions. "It's not a matter of knowing, it's a matter of allowing it to live more than a moment at the front of my thoughts. I told you that I'm really good at pushing aside anything...inconvenient. Harboring unrequited thoughts of you was highly inconvenient. What made me face it was being buried alive. It's very cliche but no less true. Facing certain death makes you face all your emotions and especially your fears. I was afraid to love you, Seeley. I was afraid you'd never love me back."

Temperance turned and looked at him for a moment then climbed out of bed. He heard her fumbling in the living room for her purse. She returned with it and pulled out a single piece of paper, covered on both sides in her familiar writing. With trembling hands she reached out to hand him the paper. A single tear slipping down her cheek was the only reminder of the terror she had faced. "I wrote you this, while we were down there. I kept it close, and after you rescued us I couldn't bear to throw it away but neither could I bear to show it to you. It was a reminder of the truth without letting the truth control me. I had expressed it on paper, again, and that's where it stayed until Caroline got puckish, " she said with a laugh and stuck out her tongue.

He turned to the note and silently read it while stroking her hand. "I'm glad you didn't throw it away. I would 'what-if' and wonder what would have happened if you'd shown it to me then but I won't. I think it would have been wrong for us to grow together strictly out of near disaster." He kissed her and quickly covered her with the length of his body. Playfully pinning her down he rained down kiss on her face. She grabbed his lower lip on a pass and quickly turned the kiss more passionate but they were interrupted by a ringing phone. He dropped his head to her shoulder for a moment and sighed before giving her a quick kiss and bounding off in search of his cell phone. She could hear his exasperation in the other room but could make out few words.

Temperance headed to the kitchen in search of a drink and met him headlong coming down the hallway. He did not look at all happy. There was a dead body. Wryly wishing it had stayed hidden for just 2 more days he informed her of the news and started picking up their clothing.

"I can't wear that out to a crime scene," she said with a sigh, wrinkling her nose at the emerald green satin dress she'd donned for their date.

"We'll swing by your place," he said as he put on his suit for the second time that day. "They think I need to pick you up anyway."

"They found a body at a park in Maryland. It's a bit meaty so Cam will be there, but Angela won't. You have a couple more days before she figures you out." He didn't seem all to disturbed by the prospect. In fact he seemed happy at the thought of the others, at least some of them, knowing. It was probably more Alpha Male and the idea of showing off his sexual conquest to the pack. She rolled her eyes at him.

"What? What did I do?"

"I think you want them to know. I think you want to be able to say that I'm yours. It's a primal desire for a man, especially and Alpha Male, to claim ownership over his conquest."

"Now wait a minute," he tried to interrupt her but she was on a roll. He counted silently while she continued to espouse the anthropological reasons why that was understandable but thoroughly objectionable. He wanted to point out how little she'd heard about Tessa and Cam when he was dating them but he really didn't want to talk about his ex girlfriends with her. He decided to focus on the two of them instead for the moment.

"Hey! Hold on a minute. I'm actually very worried about what will happen when this gets out. I don't think Cam or the squints will spread it or cause any trouble because of it. Cam, me and her have our history, but we've both moved on. She'll be happy for me. They will all be happy for us, Temperance. You know they've been sitting on their hands waiting on us to get together for a long time. You can't tell me that Angela hasn't bugged you about it countless times and I've seen Cam look between us and I know what she thinks. I don't worry about them knowing. I do worry about my bosses finding out though and keeping it from the squint squad as long as possible helps keep it hidden from the FBI too. My bosses will almost certainly split up our partnership when they find out." He paused to see if she would interrupt before continuing.

"I know Angela will find out within the first 1/2 hour she can get you alone. Hell, she will probably know just by looking at you. You look like a well kissed woman and dammit when we get this initial site work for this case settled I plan to hold you in the bedroom until Monday morning and keep it up! But hopefully you can keep it 'between you girls' as long as possible, okay?"

"If I wanted to show anything off it would be your love, not any conquest. It makes me very happy that you want me like I want you but it makes me happier that you would chose me and love me. And hey, babe, I think you're the one who did the conquering. Who had the line here? Huh? I'm going to claim you pushed me over it!" Winking, he gave her a bright smile and a very thorough kiss.

She didn't say it but her stunned 'I don't know what that means' looked was still on her face. He knew they would surely revisit this later. She wasn't an easy woman by any means and he loved that about her. The stunned look faded a bit as she considered him and she gave him her own thorough kiss before switching briskly into work mode.

"Lets go, Booth! I need to get changed, need to make sure I have all my stuff..." her voice trailed down the hallway, ticking off her list, as she headed to his SUV.


	4. To lie or not to lie

* * *

Please review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

My stories are continuous parts of the same tale. If you'd like to start at the beginning please visit my author profile for an ordered listing. There will be at least 2 more stories after the end of this one.

* * *

She continued to tick off supplies and equipment until he shut her door and went around the car. "Tell me about the body, Seeley," she asked as he climbed in.

"Maintenance crew on a rooftop found the remains. The body was wedged behind a cooling tower. The crew had no reason to get behind the tower any time in approximately the last 9 months. Body could have been there any amount of time up to that."

"Why do both Dr. Saroyan and I need to be there? If the body has been on the roof for 9 months it's unlikely to have any flesh at all."

"I said _up _to 9 months and I don't know, Bones. They tell me to bring my bone lady and I do. I thought they said Cam would be there too so I assume there is something for each of you to gleefully sort out and that likely means the body is much fresher than 9 months."

He pulled into the drive at her building and she jumped out. "I'll only be a minute," she said as she reached back in for her purse.

"I'll wait here. Watching you strip might make us very very late," he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes at him but her broad smile betrayed her. "Oh," he called after her retreating form, "you might want to wear something with a high neck, babe."

Puzzled at his remark, she turned and bounded up the stairs. Taking off her dress as she ran down the hallway, she realized that she was hurrying more than usual and it had nothing to do with the crime scene. _If we're late they might suspect something._ She knew it sounded ridiculous and that altering their behaviours at all was likely to cause more suspicion than it would allay but she felt like she had a big read mark on her head now that reading "Property of Seeley Booth. If found return to..." and that she needed to do something to hide it. She was a terrible liar though. Pulling on a v-neck sweater and jeans she ran to the bathroom for a brush and a quick inspection.

"Damn you Seeley!" The large red mark at the base of her neck was unmistakable. Her entire neck, and especially her chin looked red and irritated. _Damn my sensitive skin. Damn his sexy sandpaper scruff. Dammit all._ She tore a turtleneck off it's hook and jammed it over her head. Opening drawers left and right, she found her brush and some powder and covered the facial irritations as much as she could.

Temperance knew that shouldn't be mad at him for this. She had kissed him back just as passionately, and just as unendingly. She could not get enough of that mouth. But her anger was building and she couldn't figure out why. She felt helpless and it infuriated her. _You're not mad at him, Tempe,_ her conscience taunted. "Yes, yes I am!" She stamped around her room, collecting the last of her supplies and hoping to banish that little voice. _No, you aren't._

"Then why am I mad huh? Why?" She sat down with a thud, cradling her gathered items. "I shouldn't be mad at all. I'm really happy. He makes me so happy." She stared off into space, considering the recent conversations.

"But I don't like lying. I don't want to lie about us. Not to mention I'm absolutely terrible at it." She got up, grabbed her purse and headed out the door with an idea.

* * *

"Seeley, what if we just take each of_ my people_ aside and tell them about us."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Temperance. Come on, Angela, stay quiet?"

"We can ask them to keep it amongst us only. I can't lie to them, Seeley. I can lie to your people, but not mine. Most of your people don't like me anyway, so it won't be hard."

"That's for sure."

"You can tell Cam and I'll tell Angela, Hodgins and Zack. It's like a preemptive strike. We tell them what they want to know and they like us better and do what we want in return. Cam might have some great advice for you, you know? Since you, and her, were, you know."

"Yeah, I know," he said and cleared his throat. "For someone who hates psychology you really know how to use it to your advantage sometimes."

She ignored the barb and continued,"And I can't have all this new wonderful stuff with you and not tell my best friend."

"Okay, I understand. But lets save it for after this crime scene, okay? I'd really like to just get this done and take you home again."

She smiled at him and took his hand. "I'd like that too."

Pulling into the parking lot they both groaned. Everyone was here, all of them. Cam, Zack, Angela and Hodgins were huddled to the right while technicians carried equipment and supplies up the stairs. "Oh, boy, why would the entire squint squad be out here?"

"Hmm, maybe because Monday is New Year's Eve? They're probably angling to make sure they have it off. If they get the case preliminaries handled quickly then they might get on Cam's good side."

"How abouts you scuttle out there and get on her good side too, okay? I wouldn't mind relaxing with you on Monday too, you know? I get Parker mid-day on Tuesday but Monday can be all yours, babe." He squeezed her hand, wishing he could kiss her. "New rule, from now on we kiss before we leave your place, at the least, okay?"

She grinned at him, "Aye aye, Captain!"

"Okay, lets get this over with." He ticked off his list, "Murder to investigate, friends to coerce, happy holiday together, catch the killer. That's our plan."


	5. Cam

Please review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

My stories are continuous parts of the same tale. If you'd like to start at the beginning please visit my author profile for an ordered listing. There will be at least 2 more stories after the end of this one.

* * *

They climbed out of the car and grabbed supplies, joining the group in the middle of their discussion. Cam was delegating tasks. She turned to them with a sigh, "You two are late." Lacking the desired response from them, she continued. "Hodgins, the techs have already collected particulates from the body and the surrounding areas and they're being taken to the Jeffersonian now. I want you to follow that van and immediately start analyzing them."

"I'm on it." With that the first of them was gone. Only three more to go.

"Dr. Brennan. I'd like you to let Zack do the initial inspection and analysis that you normally perform. He could use the practice. You observe him and make your own notes but let him do the work. You can correct him later." With no valid reason to argue, Temperance stole a quick glance at Seeley and then headed inside. At least Zack wasn't likely to notice any clues short of them in bed in front of him. She felt safe with the reprieve but wondered about Seeley. He was now left alone with both Cam and Angela.

He felt both their stares and was very certain they already suspected something. Cam won out. "Angela, go...draw something. Why are you here anyway?"

"Hodgins and I had a date tonight and when he got called I figured I'd just join him and wait to see if I was needed." Clutching her pad she turned and looked at Seeley from head to toe. "You're not getting away that easily, stud-muffin. I'll find you later." With a flip of her skirt she was gone, leaving him alone with Cam.

Cam had a way of reading him. It made him feel exactly like he was one of her bodies lying on an autopsy table and she was picking apart his insides one by one - deciding which was worth further inspection and which simply deserved to be measured and sat aside. It made him squirm and he hated it. "What, Cam?"

She continued to peruse him but thought better of a direct attack. "The maintenance guys were questioned by the local cops and their statements were taken. There's really not much for you to do here right now. Give me a lift back to the lab."

"But Tem...I mean, Bones..."

"She'll be fine, and you'll be back here before she's done with the initial assessment."

"Just let me go..."

"Seeley, she's fine. It takes an earthquake to pry her out of her work."

_Or just the sight of me,_ he thought with a satisfied grin. He knew it was pointless to argue with Cam and with a sigh he followed her to his vehicle and headed out.

"Go ahead, Cam. I know you're just waiting to lay into me."

"I won't ask you where you and Dr. Brennan were all week. I'm pretty sure I know and I definitely know that I don't care. I just have one question for you. How do you feel, Seeley?"

He was tempted to answer with something flippant about the flu but that would just prolong this and he wanted it over. "I feel...over the moon. I feel at peace. I feel...terrified out of my mind."

"I'd call that love, Seeley."

He looked across at her and smiled broadly. "Yeah, I know. Me too."

"Same for her?"

"Yep, same for her."

"What about the work? What about your partnership?"

"Nothing changes there. What we do is important and we're damn good at it. Neither of us wants that to change."

"The FBI might not care what you want. There are rules about things like this, Seeley."

"Yeah, well, we'll just have to make sure they don't find out, now won't we?"

"Seeley, I..."

"Cam, they _don't_ need to know. Our work won't change. They do _not _need to know anything. They won't see any difference. It will be fine. Angela and Hodgins work together just fine. They may make us all sick sometimes hanging all over each other but their work hasn't suffered at all since they got together. Ours won't either."

"But that's at the Jeffersonian, not the FBI."

"Yeah, and that's the only place anyone needs to know about Temperance and I, okay?"

"If you say so, Seeley. And by the way, I'm happy for you. I really am. I've seen the way you look at her. I noticed it from the beginning and I wondered why you got back with me instead of her."

He just gave her a soft smile, unwilling to answer that. It didn't matter anymore. "I'm glad to have your support. And I'm really glad you didn't give me the third degree. I have a feeling Temperance won't be so lucky with Angela."

"Why would she do that? Angela's a hopeless romantic."

"A hopeless romantic who Temperance didn't call immediately days ago to tell her right away when we..."

"Spare me the details, Seeley. I'm happy for you, but I'm not a giddy 14 year old who wants know exactly how you got the girl." They had arrived at the Jeffersonian and she could tell he was itching to return for Dr. Brennan. She leaned across and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before getting out. "Go back to your girl Seeley and have a good New Year's. I won't push this case until January 2nd, I promise. If you can pry her away, she's yours for the weekend."


	6. The Squint Squad

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

My stories are continuous parts of the same tale. If you'd like to start at the beginning please visit my author profile for an ordered listing.

I have one more chapter planned for this then at least two more future stories following the same line. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Temperance was distracted and it irritated her. If Cam hadn't assigned this to Zack she could at least force herself through work to put Seeley out of her mind. She was worried about him, down below with two women. Angela she could predict, but Dr. Saroyan was still much of a mystery to her and all the unknown details of their previous relationship weighed heavily on her mind.

"Boo!"

She jumped and turned to see Angela staring at her. "What are you doing up here?"

"Dr. Saroyan shooed me away. Told me to go draw something. Guess she wanted Booth all to herself. Woo-e he is looking fine tonight too! Got some great bed head going on, like he just got out of bed with some hot woman..."

"Angela!" Realizing she'd said that with a lot of force she tried to cover. "I'm, um, sure that whatever Booth was doing it's none of your, I mean our, business. We should focus on the ..."

"Maybe Cam took him back for some one on one time, if you get my meaning, eh?"

Zack had been paying rapt attention to the discussion, confusion evident on his face. "No, I don't understand. What are you talking about Angela? One on one time, will they be discussing the case? We should all be together for such discussions, it's far more..."

"Angela, go...draw something! Let Zack and I finish here." Pushing Angela aside lightly, Temperance moved with her long enough to fiercely whisper, "Stop it! I'll talk to you later!" Temperance was not a good whisperer.

"You'll talk to her about what? The case? Or...the stuff you guys always talk about when I'm not around. The good stuff." He sighed heavily and returned to his examination.

They worked silently for half an hour. Angela found no case work to do but she had found something else to amuse her. Temperance noticed her grin and peered over her sketch pad. "Angela!" she yelled. She grabbed at the pad. "Cover that up! Better yet, give it to me." She snatched the sketch and rolled it up before anyone at the scene could see it.

"Whoa there, what are you yelling about up here Te...Bones?" Seeley called, as he walked out the roof access. "Do we have the makings of a girl fight?" His charm-grin was firmly affixed as he looked between them. "Oh, a sketch. Can I see?"

"No!" Yelled Temperance, but Angela was more than willing to show it to him. Temperance glared at Angela, hiding the sketch behind her back. She updated Seeley on their progress. "We're pretty much done here. Zack is observing the bagging of the body and other evidence then we will take it all back to the Jeffersonian for examination.

"So, you're done here?"

"Well, yes, but...where is Dr. Saroyan?"

"She asked me to take her back to the Jeffersonian so I dropped her off and came back for _you_." Angela noticed the look that passed between them and hid her grin. Something definitely happened after he carried her out of the lab. Something hot! And she was bound and determined to find out what that was before the end of the night.

"Who is going to take the van back to the lab?" Temperance asked.

"Don't look at me, Brennan. I'm not allowed to drive that thing since I almost backed over Goodman's car two years ago. And Zack can't drive at all. So...I guess _you _are. Zack can ride with you and I'll ride with Booth." She grinned fiendishly at her anticipated prey, who quickly looked at Temperance for help.

"No, you can ride with me and Booth will follow us with Zack." That wasn't exactly what he wanted but it was better than simultaneously fielding passes and questions from Ms. Montenegro. At least he wouldn't have to actually _talk _to Zack.

Angela, Zack, Temperance and Seeley filed down the narrow access stairs from the roof. Zack was talking to Temperance about some particularly riveting aspect of the case, but all Seeley noticed was the sway of Temperance's hips in front of his. He reached out and ran his hand lightly down the curve, causing her to jump and yelp. _This is going to be fun._ She turned to glare at him, her head instead thudding against his chest. He reflexively raised his arms to catch her as Angela turned to see why Temperance had cried out. Seeing them with his arms wrapped around her best friend she couldn't help the "Awww," that escaped. Zack, still unaware, ran into her as she stopped, nearly knocking her over. Sighing at him, she turned and continued down the stairs.

In the van, Angela wasted no time.

"So...did you like your gift?"

"Yes, I love it. Thank you for doing that."

"How many times have you had sex now?"

"Angela!"

"Come on, I gotta ask."

"I...don't know."

"Wow! Lost count already. Go Brennan! Work that stud-muffin." She'd already guessed this much and wasn't satisfied with stopping there. "Is it just about sex, or is it more? Slept over yet?"

"I...didn't leave his apartment for nearly 3 days. I was with him tonight when he got the call."

"Said the 'L' word yet?"

"Angela, that's none of your..."

"Oh please, 3 years already. You haven't had sex since Sully and he hasn't gotten any since breaking up with Cam. You guys have been committed to each other in every way but body and name. I need details!"

"Yes, the 'L' word, as you call it, came up just before we exchanged gifts. The sex didn't happen until after he we were sick. Look, we're almost back to the lab. You'll have to wait for the rest." She smiled at Angela. "I promise, we'll have dinner soon and talk about all those details you want. But I need you to promise that you'll keep this as quiet as possible. We're afraid of what will happen when the FBI finds out. You, Hodgins, Zack, and even Dr. Saroyan can know but no one else, okay?"

Turning to Angela she looked for agreement. Finding it she continued, "We love our work and love working together and we don't want that to change. But we knew it would be absolutely impossible to keep from you so we decided to give you what you wanted."

* * *

Seeley pulled out of the crime scene with Zack beside him and no idea what to say. They didn't exactly have a rapport. The air was thick in the car and they had a good 20 minutes alone on the way back to the lab. Seeley couldn't remember if he'd spent even one minute alone with Zack in the past. This was going to be a very long ride.

"So, Zack..." Even in his head that was all he could get out. Maybe he should have taken Angela. He sighed.

"Something wrong, Agent Booth?"

"Zack...

"Well, you know how Angela is always making comments about us?"

"What kind of comments?"

"About how, we, you know..."

"No, I don't. But whatever you're talking about, those probably happen in the discussions I'm not allowed to hear."

_This is why I don't talk to Zack. _"Just ask Angela or Hodgins when we get back to the lab, okay? It will be a lot less _painful_."

"Painful for whom, Agent Booth?"

He glared at Zack. "You. Definitely you."

"But I'm fine, Agent Booth. I..."

"Keep talking Zack. You'll find out." He was very relieved to see the outline of the Jeffersonian building come into view.

Entering the building, he found Cam laughing with Temperance, Angela and Hodgins in Temperance's office. Zack started to head to his station and begin work but Seeley persisted and steered him towards the waiting group. He glanced at Temperance. Seeing her nod he closed the door and cleared his throat.

"Does Hodgins know?"

Angela turned to him. "Hey Hodgy, Booth and Brennan are finally really partners."

"Cool. I'm down with that," he replied. As she turned to Zack he gave Seeley a thumbs up and a grin.

"Zack, you understand?" she asked. But his confused look already gave her the answer.

Hodgins knew this could take awhile. With a smack to the back of Zack's head he said, "Look, Booth and Brennan are doing it man. They're in love, the whole shebang. We can't tell anyone or the FBI will end their partnership and everyone will be sad and pissy. Got it?" Turning to Seeley he shrugged. "How did I do?"

"That's good man, thanks."

Cam cleared her throat. "Now that we've got that out of the way lets talk about this case." She weighed making them all sweat but she knew there were two happy couples in this room who really wanted to get out of the lab and enjoy some time together and she was feeling benevolent. She'd squeeze out some payback later. "Considering that it's the weekend and Monday is New Year's Eve and I have plans this can...wait. Have a great weekend everyone. January 2 you better be in here and ready to work on this."

Seeley put his arm around Temperance as they watched everyone file out. "Ready to go home, Temperance?"

Putting her arm around his waist, she smiled and pulled out Angela's sketch and handed to Seeley. He unrolled it and let out a shrill whistle. "Wow, Temperance. Angela draw this?"

"Yes, she was feeling _puckish_, and bored, at the crime scene."

He cocked his head to the side and considered the picture. "This is confusing. Who's leg is that?"

"Hmm, maybe we can try to recreate it and find out?" She reached up and gave him a quick kiss.

He smiled down at her and shrugged. "We can give it a try, but I'm really not sure I'm that flexible, babe."


	7. Parker

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters or song lyrics here. But the characters and the non-couple romance both inspire and frustrate me!

My stories are continuous parts of the same tale. If you'd like to start at the beginning please visit my author profile for an ordered listing.

This is the last chapter in this story but I do have at least two more future stories following the same line. The next story should start in a day or two but there is a clear separation between that time frame and this one (no spoilers!) so it will be posted under a separate title.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

It was Tuesday morning - the first day of the New Year. And it was definitely starting out well. Temperance was curled up on her side facing him, snoring gently. It was nearly imperceptible but it was there. _I'll have to tease her about it later._ Right now though, all now all he wanted to do was watch her.

They had spent most of the weekend together. Sunday she had gone home for awhile after they had their first fight since becoming a couple. It was completely silly, as most fights are. She had packed a small bag to bring over for the weekend and forgotten her shampoo. He offered her his but she didn't want it. He thought she was being vain and didn't realize that the shampoo represented some independence for her and she needed to assert some control. _Silly. _She'd gone home first thing that morning and though they spoke they didn't see each other again until early Monday when he showed up at her door with breakfast and his own overnight bag. It was the 'I'm sorry' she needed and he spent that day and night at her place.

But now it was Tuesday morning. New Year's Day. And he had about 3 hours to get ready to get Parker for the day. He jumped in the shower without waking her. While waiting for the water to warm he considered possible plans for the day. Parker usually had some destination in mind but it never hurt to have a few ideas of his own just in case. What he'd really like is to ask Temperance to come too, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

He finished his shower quickly and found Temperance awake when he emerged. Bending down to kiss her, he playfully smacked her sheet-covered hip. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning. And Happy New Year. Got any wonderful resolutions for the year?"

"Hmm, lets see. I promise not to shoot any more clowns that aren't expressly trying to kill one of us. I promise to occasionally look Zack in the eye."

"Hah, yeah, right."

"I can do better. Lets see. I resolve to tell you I love you at least once a day. I'll also resolve to make love to you with my eyes at least 5 times a day, and in practice at least once a day, maybe twice on the weekends." He dodged her swiping arm. "In addition, I hereby resolve to kiss you often; probably every other day, so that you'll miss it in between." He let her grab his arm, pull him down onto his back and straddle him.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, Bones, I do. And I promise you love you with all my heart and try to never let you down." He smiled up at her and pulled her down for a kiss. She didn't notice when he flipped her over and then she didn't notice anything at all as he showed her how much he meant it.

* * *

He looked down at her, "Temperance, I was wondering. Would you like to come with me today? Spend the day with Parker and I? I...I would really like that." He held his breath while she thought about it. He really wanted her there. He desperately wanted Parker to like her, and for her to like him.

"I'd love that." She ran a hand through he hair. "Guess I better get a shower, huh? You're hair is, um, kinda messed up now, Seeley. You might want to join me."

He groaned, "I've got a brush and I don't want to be late. If I go in there with you we will be very very late. I'll manage. Chop chop!"

* * *

Parker had chosen the zoo for their day outing but knowing it was too cold to see any animals, Temperance suggested they go ice skating instead. Initially suspicious that anyone but Parker would enjoy it, he was pleasantly surprised to see how many opportunities he found to enjoy the outing.

Temperance was a terrible skater.

It was surprising, knowing she skied and hiked and enjoyed other physical activities. But apparently she had weak ankles. In this instance it was definitely to his advantage today. He'd caught her many times and she had only managed to take him down with her once.

Parker was oblivious to it all. He was having a great time on the ice and seemed like a natural skater but despite that, it doesn't take a little boy very long to get bored. He skated up to Seeley and grabbed his hand, tugging downward.

"Daddy, why is Bones with us today?"

Seeley stole a glance at Temperance and squatted down next to his son. "Well, Parker, first, why don't you call her Tempe, okay? Her name is Temperance but special people get to call her Tempe for short." Looking to the lady herself for agreement on the name, he continued. "You're going to see a lot of Tempe now, Parker. You know how mommy has a boyfriend that you see a lot but you've never seen daddy with a girlfriend? Well, Tempe is now Daddy's girlfriend. So she's going to be around a lot. You think that will be okay?"

Parker peered up at Temperance and she found to her surprise that a tight knot had formed in her stomach. She wasn't expecting it but she realized that how Parker felt about her really mattered. She wanted him to like her.

Parker nodded and smiled at Seeley. "I like her, Daddy. She's pretty and nice and she knows really cool things about everything!"

Seeley chuckled and hugged her to his side. "Yeah, she is. And I like her too, okay?"

"Girlfriend, eh?" She tried the word on her lips, liking the sound.

"You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all." She tested it out. "This is Seeley Booth, my...boyfriend. He's my boyfriend. I am his girlfriend. We are a...couple. Yeah, I think that will work." She leaned over and kissed him. He deepened the kiss and wrapped her in his arms. They were oblivious to Parker's tugs and giggles until he started to say in a sing-song voice, "Daddy and Tempe sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S..."

* * *


End file.
